Cheesy Italian Spinach Bake
This recipe came from a dish I made for my mom after she had knee replacement surgery. She was low on iron and I had just learned spinach was a great source of iron, but she hated spinach. How could I make spinach taste good? Garlic, cheese, and more cheese. This Italian spinach bake is just that with a crunchy breadcrumb layer on top. I love the idea of this as a creamed spinach vibe, but instead of cream use ricotta and eggs. Cream is so hard on the gut sometimes. This dish will turn any spinach hater into a lover, take it from me. Layered with grated mozzarella, caramelized onions, good Parmigiano Reggiano, and the best garlic sourdough bread crisps that add a crunch to every bite. Try this one for sure.
If you’ve followed my recipes for the past couple of years, you know my love for ricotta cheese runs deep. I love how much lower in calories and fat it is than adding cream. If you add it to pasta sauce with some pasta water it adds the same level of creamy effect. When you bake ricotta, it’s important to add fat back to the ricotta to prevent it from drying out too much. Eggs are the perfect addition. Think of manicotti, stuffed shells, or lasagna. Creamy, light, and delicious. Eggs are also a great additional protein to add to your egg bake. If I were eating this by itself, I’d serve it with a few poached or fried eggs.
The secret to this recipe is not just the cheese, but these crispy breadcrumbs. Do yourself a favor and start saving at least one slice of the bread you buy in the freezer. It will take your bake from home cook to chef. Don’t just sprinkle the raw bread on top of the bake without toasting it first in some olive oil or butter.
I’m hoping this is a new fun way for you to incorporate a delicious leafy vegetable into your routine at home with your family. Try serving it on pizza night or alongside spaghetti and meatballs. This would also go great with some baked chicken or grilled steak. Repurpose the leftovers into a lasagna or add some cream cheese and chopped artichoke hearts to make a delicious spinach and artichoke dip for a get-together. Vegetables are the most reusable foods to have on hand. Remember, sometimes you don’t have to hide vegetables when they taste this good.
Cheesy Italian Spinach Bake
Yield(s): Serves 6
15m prep time
30m cook time
Diet:Â Vegetarian
For spinach bake:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed chili flake
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 (12 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
- 2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 whole eggs, beaten
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
For breadcrumb topping:
- 1 cup sourdough bread pieces, or panko breadcrumb
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Saute onion and garlic until golden in butter, then add chili flakes.
- Deglaze with white wine, reduce by half, add spinach, and turn the heat low.
- Mix in ricotta and parmesan until spinach starts to turn creamy. Remove spinach from heat and gently let cool.
- Meanwhile, preheat a saute pan over medium heat with olive oil and brown garlic before adding breadcrumbs. Toast bread until lightly golden, turn off the heat, and season with salt & pepper.
- Beat eggs into the slightly cooled spinach mixture and fold into a prepared 8×11 baking dish.
- Top with grated mozzarella and toasted breadcrumbs.
- Bake 350 ºF for 25 minutes.
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